Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
Du·puy·tren's contracture Pronunciation:
d&-"pwE-'tranz-, -'pwE-tr&nz- Function:
noun : a condition marked byfibrosis with shortening and thickening of the palmar aponeurosis resulting in flexion contracture of the fingers into the palm of the hand
Duápuyátren /d&-pwE-tran/,
Guillaume (1777–1835), French surgeon. Dupuytren was the leading French surgeon of his day. His greatest achievements were in surgicalpathology, and they include: the first excision of the lower jaw (1812), a successful ligation of the external iliac artery (1815), the first successful treatment of aneurysm by compression (1818), asuccessful ligation of the subclavian artery (1819), surgical treatment of wryneck (1822), the development of an operation for the creation of an artificial anus (1828), and a classification of burnsinto four divisions (1832). The contracture that bears his name was described in 1831.
